Go away...I'm busy!
Yea, it's been quiet leading into a fifth year anniversary. So what? I'm having too much fun playing a few select titles with no real end in sight. So it goes.
Showing posts with label Anniversary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anniversary. Show all posts
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Expect More of the Same Old Gobbledygook
As in, more of the same anniversary nonsense already spoken over the last few years. So instead, forget it. Go read one of the old anniversary posts if you actually have an interest in any of that baloney. Consider me the cynical codger of Beat All Games - well, have I ever been anything but?
Game completion has rather fallen off in the past few months, and motivation to write these long winded opinions has slowly grown tiresome. Proof in the pudding is my last update regarding the Eighth Annual Vanilla Level Design Contest. I finished the game back in early May, began writing the post shortly thereafter, and...here it is three months later and the post is finally published. Truth be told, I doubt I really hit up all the details I originally outlined as I'd forgotten a number of them as time passed. Does it really matter? I'm not going to kid myself. It doesn't.
In a way, Beat All Games is a site for me as opposed to anyone out there who may actually stop by. Consider it a log. I suppose I could just use GameFAQs' database to accomplish the same feat, similar to Goodreads or Discogs, but through Beat All Games, I feel like I can put a far more personal spin on everything - like a literary interpretation of a YouTuber's means of logging and reviews. I'll stay with the channels I'm most comfortable with as a means to personalize my tiny foothold in the already over-saturated market of video game impressions, judgments, and all around critical opinions - the written word.
But with my growing apathy towards continuing Beat All Games' 5000 word essays - actually, that's a bit of an exaggeration; my longest post to date has been 4228 words while my average is still hovering around 1260 words; silly Batman and it's meek 187 word prototype - does that spell doom for this project? I doubt it. I'm fairly certain I'll keep hammering away as long as I'm completing games. Only, since early May, I haven't even come close to completing a game. I've ventured into material that's held my attention for a long time and has no sign of letting up, and unfortunate for this site, end game is sort of a precarious concept. Games like Project Cars, Neverwinter, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Fallout: New Vegas, and Cities: Skylines have all managed my undivided attention, and though I have set goals to signify job well done, I doubt I'll see them for a long long time. But these aren't the only games I've been tackling on an on/off basis. I have a number of games I bounce back and forth between, but my attention span comes and goes. I haven't found a game that's kept my undying attention from beginning to end in a while. Maybe I'm just picking the wrong games. Or maybe the above games have sucked up so much of my time my mind's become fickle when it comes to playing a title in which I could potentially manage completion sometime in the foreseeable future. Ah well.
Maybe I just need to bounce over to something quick and easy, like Mega Man 4 or Sonic the Hedgehog 3 instead of all these lengthy RPGs I somehow find myself playing as of late. Maybe I need to finally do the last few necessary goals I've set in New Super Mario Bros. U, Limbo, or Super Time Force so I can finally write about how great those games are. Or are they?
Maybe I realized Beat All Games has taken some of the fun out of video games for me, and maybe, for the sake of pure, casual enjoyment, it's time to shy away from OCD completion - at least for the purpose of this site and any hope for its future. Shy away from OCD completion altogether? I doubt it.
Anyway, hats off to five years of completionist gaming and unnecessary dissertations.
Monday, August 18, 2014
4th & Inches
No, I'm not referring to the old football classic from the Commodore era. Instead I refer to four years of hootin' and hollerin' over games that infuriate me, engage me, or simply wow me. Whether people visit my little corner of the web or not is inconsequential to my affairs, but Beat All Games has helped push me to play some games I'd never think of playing - for better or worse. Otherwise, I'd probably be like so many other gamers out there and stick with what's comfotable, with whatever's fresh and popular, with whatever's on the most current systems. I'd still take nostalgic trips to my NES, SNES, Genesis, PlayStation, or what have you, but I'd likely return to the same titles that I grew up loving and nary venture into the unknown. Beat All Games has also helped me grow my collection as I continue to try and pick up games I've never heard of or caught wind of somewhere else on the net - enough to grab my attention and make me say, "I've got to get that game." So to the very existence of Beat All Games I say kudos.
This calls for a celebration and Beat All Games celebrates the only way it knows how: posting arbitrary lists for the sake of adding more useless lists out in internet land. But what's more, unlike last year, I've actually added a bevy - well, maybe not a bevy, but a fair amount - of games to my completion log. Perhaps fair amount is itself the definition of exaggeration, but for once my completion total has been on the upswing - a first since the beginning of this little experiment in gaming. Ta-da!
It's been a while since I've done a top/worst five, so perhaps I'll throw one of those up on the board. There's been a number of games since I last made such a list so there's a good chance my new list will no longer replicate my old list. In fact, I know it doesn't, although a few games from the old list still retain their positions. It's very likely a couple of those titles will stand the test of time in their current positions. First, I'll list my top five games taken down since the beginning of Beat All Games followed up by the worst five.
Top 5
5. XBox One - Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition
It managed to eek its way onto the list; not by merit, but by time. One of the tightest, most engaging nouveau platformers I've played.
4. Super Nintendo - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
One of those titles where I forget just how incredible it is as time passes. Then I play it and am simply blown away.
3. Nintendo Entertainment System - Super Mario Bros. 3
I admit nostalgia, but at the same time, I find it an absolute thrill every time I boot it up.
2. PC - VVVVVV
If less is more, it's no wonder this game is held in such high regard. It's a marvel of simplistic innovation taken to the extreme.
1. PlayStation 2 - Katamari Damacy
Rounding out simplicity, Katamari takes it a step further and wins with campy joyfulness and addicting gameplay - not to mention incredible music.
Bottom 5
5. Sega Master System - Sonic the Hedgehog 2
It saddens me that an early Sonic game could be this horribly designed. Not expecting 16-bit miracles, but considering the first game, what went wrong?
4. XBox - Fable: The Lost Chapters
I still believe this could have been a great game if it weren't for stupid developmental decisions and extraneous bullshit clogging the tubes.
3. Dreamcast - Shenmue
I've never been more baffled over general opinion regarding a game, except perhaps for Majora's Mask. Shenmue is an awful, boring, hollow affair.
2. Genesis - TechnoCop
Perhaps if the developers weren't so scatterbrained regarding TechnoCop's structure, something would be halfway functional - be it driving or platforming or...anything.
1. Nintendo Entertainment System - Where's Waldo?
I feel sorry for anyone who paid good money for this "game" back in the day. Total gaming garbage right here.
And before I go.... Up until now, with a few exceptions here and there, I've tried my best to follow franchises in order. While I'm still going to try and do that when and if I can, I've decided to be far less stringent moving forward. The upside of such a rule is I can better gauge implementations of certain mechanics and judge failings or improvements from title to title. An example, which affected my view on the game, was when I played Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle before playing Alex Kidd in Miracle World. Both games are great, but sadly I skewed my perception of Miracle World because I played the vastly superior Enchanted Castle first.
That being said, I've purposefully put off a number of games that I'm eager to play because I'm trying to track down a preceding title first or I have said title and I'm currently suffering through a bad gaming experience. The Smash Bros. series is a good example as I'm just not enjoying the N64 title whatsoever. I hate the controls, and...everything, I just hate everything about this game and I'm having a miserable time playing it, but I love both Melee and Brawl. Certain titles, for various reasons, I'll likely abide by sequential order as best I can whereas other titles - hey, it's fair game.
If anything, I have a sneaky suspicion my completion count will be positively affected by this as well since I know I've been holding wins back as I try to sneak in an earlier title - q.v. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series.
And so, huzzah! Four years, and here's to hoping the upswing continues.
This calls for a celebration and Beat All Games celebrates the only way it knows how: posting arbitrary lists for the sake of adding more useless lists out in internet land. But what's more, unlike last year, I've actually added a bevy - well, maybe not a bevy, but a fair amount - of games to my completion log. Perhaps fair amount is itself the definition of exaggeration, but for once my completion total has been on the upswing - a first since the beginning of this little experiment in gaming. Ta-da!
It's been a while since I've done a top/worst five, so perhaps I'll throw one of those up on the board. There's been a number of games since I last made such a list so there's a good chance my new list will no longer replicate my old list. In fact, I know it doesn't, although a few games from the old list still retain their positions. It's very likely a couple of those titles will stand the test of time in their current positions. First, I'll list my top five games taken down since the beginning of Beat All Games followed up by the worst five.
Top 5
5. XBox One - Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition
It managed to eek its way onto the list; not by merit, but by time. One of the tightest, most engaging nouveau platformers I've played.
4. Super Nintendo - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
One of those titles where I forget just how incredible it is as time passes. Then I play it and am simply blown away.
3. Nintendo Entertainment System - Super Mario Bros. 3
I admit nostalgia, but at the same time, I find it an absolute thrill every time I boot it up.
2. PC - VVVVVV
If less is more, it's no wonder this game is held in such high regard. It's a marvel of simplistic innovation taken to the extreme.
1. PlayStation 2 - Katamari Damacy
Rounding out simplicity, Katamari takes it a step further and wins with campy joyfulness and addicting gameplay - not to mention incredible music.
Bottom 5
5. Sega Master System - Sonic the Hedgehog 2
It saddens me that an early Sonic game could be this horribly designed. Not expecting 16-bit miracles, but considering the first game, what went wrong?
4. XBox - Fable: The Lost Chapters
I still believe this could have been a great game if it weren't for stupid developmental decisions and extraneous bullshit clogging the tubes.
3. Dreamcast - Shenmue
I've never been more baffled over general opinion regarding a game, except perhaps for Majora's Mask. Shenmue is an awful, boring, hollow affair.
2. Genesis - TechnoCop
Perhaps if the developers weren't so scatterbrained regarding TechnoCop's structure, something would be halfway functional - be it driving or platforming or...anything.
1. Nintendo Entertainment System - Where's Waldo?
I feel sorry for anyone who paid good money for this "game" back in the day. Total gaming garbage right here.
And before I go.... Up until now, with a few exceptions here and there, I've tried my best to follow franchises in order. While I'm still going to try and do that when and if I can, I've decided to be far less stringent moving forward. The upside of such a rule is I can better gauge implementations of certain mechanics and judge failings or improvements from title to title. An example, which affected my view on the game, was when I played Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle before playing Alex Kidd in Miracle World. Both games are great, but sadly I skewed my perception of Miracle World because I played the vastly superior Enchanted Castle first.
That being said, I've purposefully put off a number of games that I'm eager to play because I'm trying to track down a preceding title first or I have said title and I'm currently suffering through a bad gaming experience. The Smash Bros. series is a good example as I'm just not enjoying the N64 title whatsoever. I hate the controls, and...everything, I just hate everything about this game and I'm having a miserable time playing it, but I love both Melee and Brawl. Certain titles, for various reasons, I'll likely abide by sequential order as best I can whereas other titles - hey, it's fair game.
If anything, I have a sneaky suspicion my completion count will be positively affected by this as well since I know I've been holding wins back as I try to sneak in an earlier title - q.v. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series.
And so, huzzah! Four years, and here's to hoping the upswing continues.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Generic yet Zany Usage of the Number Three to Indicate a Third Year Celebration
Much like the title, most everything I could possibly say would be the same generic rehashing of everything I've said in the past. "Oh, wow! Three years!" Maybe I'm just cynical and realistic about my tiny little corner of the internet where I can muse on games I both like and dislike. Whatever....
I've spent the last week or so trying to come up with something I can talk about for my three year anniversary post, and essentially, I've come up with squat. I've completed four games since the beginning of the year and an additional four since the last anniversary. What the hell kind of gamer am I? For one thing, a gamer that has become distracted by many other things. Point is, there's no point in talking about past games beaten. As far as current games, despite last years list, pretty much all of those games have fallen off the radar and for the past few weeks I've only been focusing on two games: We ♥ Katamari and Final Fantasy II (that's II, not IV!!), so pointless to discuss any of that.
I thought, maybe for something really different I'll say a little something about each console/handheld I own. But then, I feel there's really nothing more to say than what's already been said by countless others. The only difference would be all the hatred I'd spew forth in regards to the Nintendo 64 - although over the past couple of years, a lot of that has finally, finally subdued.
I also thought about talking about current gen games that I enjoy since, well, I pretty much never talk about those. However, other than Dragon Age II (discounting Wii titles), I don't think I've played any others to the end, or even through to the halfway point. By the way, the only reason Dragon Age II is not on this blog is because I feel to finish it properly I need to do a run through with each character and I've yet to do any of the DLC content.
On second thought, I think I will talk about current gen games and how much I hate the direction gaming has gone, starting with DLC. I cannot express enough how much I despise the concept of DLC. I understand why people like it, the obvious reasons why it benefits a company to make DLC, and in theory, even to me, it sounds like a wonderful prospect. "Ooh, you mean I can play this game I love even more with additional map packs, quests etc.? Wonderful!" But really, it's not wonderful. It's bullshit. I miss the days of a finished game is a finished game - knowing that everything this game has to offer is right in front of me from day one. I understand that I'm in the minority on this subject and that DLC is totally optional, but as someone with a near OCD-like meticulous knack for having to experience everything a game has to offer, it becomes an unbearable annoyance. Forget the already exhaustive characteristics of having to play a game multiple times when applicable and I'm not talking about various difficulty settings. Dragon Age II is a good example of this as is another game I was playing for a while before I grew weary of it: Epic Mickey. Actually, the main reason I stopped playing that game is that I learned there was one particular point in the game that you would need to play through three times just to get whatever the hell it is you collect in that game - yea, it's been so long, I've forgotten - some sort of badges, if I recall correctly. I can understand playing through the game twice because of how the game works, but a third time? Why? Just to collect a fucking badge? Forget it.
It's senseless padding like that to elongate a game's lifespan that annoys the piss out of me, and in a way, DLC is no different except that you're having to pay for the extra padding. Ok, not all DLC is like that. There is some worthwhile DLC out there that plays as an actual expansion, but a vast majority of it is just useless money-grubbing bullshit. I know saying some DLC's acceptable comes off as completely hypocritical given my original stance, so you know what? If I had things my way, there'd be no more DLC. What's done is done - when a game hits the shelves, it's a finished product.
Oh! And to add an addendum to that: when a game hits the shelves, it better as hell be a finished product; not a fucking beta that will be updated by a long assortment of patches. Much like it's ruined everything else it's touched, so has the constant connectivity of a vast interweb network destroyed gaming. Developers appear to have fallen prey to the idea that thanks to live connections between developers and gamers, games can be pushed out into the masses before thorough QA is completed because, after all, the technology to send patch after patch after patch of bugfixes is wholly acceptable. But what's worse is that so many gamers just accept it. Yea, I can only imagine the PC community retorting, "Buck up!" as us console gamers have always been on the back foot all these years anyway, but it's no better a response. It's the same damnable acceptance that's helping pave the way for shitty policies used by gaming companies that PC gamers and developers helped build.
Guess I'm just an old fogey when it comes to gaming. I'll admit it. There's a whole lot more besides these two "conveniences" of modern gaming that either angers or depresses me. Maybe I'll get to some more of them in the next anniversary post as I doubt I'll have anything larger than a small handful of games beaten by then to account for anything worthwhile list-wise. Knowing what's in store for the future of gaming only makes things look all the more grim. I know a lot of people are excited and, hey, that's great. Me, I see the golden age of gaming coming to a close. Honestly, I would love to see another "crash" happen so the industry can be straightened out. Will it happen? Don't know, but there's always hope.
...well, that or I can always "Buck up!"
I've spent the last week or so trying to come up with something I can talk about for my three year anniversary post, and essentially, I've come up with squat. I've completed four games since the beginning of the year and an additional four since the last anniversary. What the hell kind of gamer am I? For one thing, a gamer that has become distracted by many other things. Point is, there's no point in talking about past games beaten. As far as current games, despite last years list, pretty much all of those games have fallen off the radar and for the past few weeks I've only been focusing on two games: We ♥ Katamari and Final Fantasy II (that's II, not IV!!), so pointless to discuss any of that.
I thought, maybe for something really different I'll say a little something about each console/handheld I own. But then, I feel there's really nothing more to say than what's already been said by countless others. The only difference would be all the hatred I'd spew forth in regards to the Nintendo 64 - although over the past couple of years, a lot of that has finally, finally subdued.
I also thought about talking about current gen games that I enjoy since, well, I pretty much never talk about those. However, other than Dragon Age II (discounting Wii titles), I don't think I've played any others to the end, or even through to the halfway point. By the way, the only reason Dragon Age II is not on this blog is because I feel to finish it properly I need to do a run through with each character and I've yet to do any of the DLC content.
On second thought, I think I will talk about current gen games and how much I hate the direction gaming has gone, starting with DLC. I cannot express enough how much I despise the concept of DLC. I understand why people like it, the obvious reasons why it benefits a company to make DLC, and in theory, even to me, it sounds like a wonderful prospect. "Ooh, you mean I can play this game I love even more with additional map packs, quests etc.? Wonderful!" But really, it's not wonderful. It's bullshit. I miss the days of a finished game is a finished game - knowing that everything this game has to offer is right in front of me from day one. I understand that I'm in the minority on this subject and that DLC is totally optional, but as someone with a near OCD-like meticulous knack for having to experience everything a game has to offer, it becomes an unbearable annoyance. Forget the already exhaustive characteristics of having to play a game multiple times when applicable and I'm not talking about various difficulty settings. Dragon Age II is a good example of this as is another game I was playing for a while before I grew weary of it: Epic Mickey. Actually, the main reason I stopped playing that game is that I learned there was one particular point in the game that you would need to play through three times just to get whatever the hell it is you collect in that game - yea, it's been so long, I've forgotten - some sort of badges, if I recall correctly. I can understand playing through the game twice because of how the game works, but a third time? Why? Just to collect a fucking badge? Forget it.
It's senseless padding like that to elongate a game's lifespan that annoys the piss out of me, and in a way, DLC is no different except that you're having to pay for the extra padding. Ok, not all DLC is like that. There is some worthwhile DLC out there that plays as an actual expansion, but a vast majority of it is just useless money-grubbing bullshit. I know saying some DLC's acceptable comes off as completely hypocritical given my original stance, so you know what? If I had things my way, there'd be no more DLC. What's done is done - when a game hits the shelves, it's a finished product.
Oh! And to add an addendum to that: when a game hits the shelves, it better as hell be a finished product; not a fucking beta that will be updated by a long assortment of patches. Much like it's ruined everything else it's touched, so has the constant connectivity of a vast interweb network destroyed gaming. Developers appear to have fallen prey to the idea that thanks to live connections between developers and gamers, games can be pushed out into the masses before thorough QA is completed because, after all, the technology to send patch after patch after patch of bugfixes is wholly acceptable. But what's worse is that so many gamers just accept it. Yea, I can only imagine the PC community retorting, "Buck up!" as us console gamers have always been on the back foot all these years anyway, but it's no better a response. It's the same damnable acceptance that's helping pave the way for shitty policies used by gaming companies that PC gamers and developers helped build.
Guess I'm just an old fogey when it comes to gaming. I'll admit it. There's a whole lot more besides these two "conveniences" of modern gaming that either angers or depresses me. Maybe I'll get to some more of them in the next anniversary post as I doubt I'll have anything larger than a small handful of games beaten by then to account for anything worthwhile list-wise. Knowing what's in store for the future of gaming only makes things look all the more grim. I know a lot of people are excited and, hey, that's great. Me, I see the golden age of gaming coming to a close. Honestly, I would love to see another "crash" happen so the industry can be straightened out. Will it happen? Don't know, but there's always hope.
...well, that or I can always "Buck up!"
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Terrible Twos
Good grief, two years!? Really didn't think I'd still be churning out curt opinions regarding various games. Surprisingly, thanks to Beat All Games, my affinity for gaming has grown tenfold and I've gotten myself back on track in regards to collecting video games and consoles - something I haven't touched since the early 2000s.
Game: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Unfortunately, while my collection has grown, my wealth of games beaten has not. If anything, the rate of games being knocked out of the park has diminished radically. For this reason, looking back over the past year, I think to repeat 2011's anniversary post would be silly. Sure, there's been some great games played since last year: Sonic the Hedgehog, Katamari Damacy, and Ocarina of Time to name a few, but with only twenty new games posted within that span of time, I can imagine my top/bottom 5 differing only slightly. Then again, maybe not as those three games alone could easily place within my top 5. However, looking through said twenty games, my bottom 5 would likely remain the same.
For this reason, I decided to create a different list as this year's anniversary bonus. Numerous times, I've mentioned being in the middle of several games - well, actually, I'm in the midst of playing quite a few and have been for some time. Thing is, some games become far too tedious and boring for me to find the will to continue or some games suffer from such massive flaws that the aggravation gets the better of me. Other times, I just sort of forget about some games and sadly they fall to the wayside out of no fault of their own. Well, I'd thought I'd go ahead and list some of those games and say a quick few words about each. While I'm not going to list every game I'm fighting my way through, I thought I'd just list some of the more notable ones - notable in that there's specific reasons why I'm moving forward with them or not. My plan is to give a quick thought in 25 words or less - we'll see how that goes though. And somehow, I imagine that I'm going to raise quite a fuss with a few particular titles and why they've managed to land themselves on the back-burner.
And since this isn't meant to be any sort of best of the best type list, I'll be listing these in alphabetical order. Additionally, for the sake of 2012, I'm going to round the list off to a nice even twelve. I planned on listing only ten games at first, but there were a couple additional games that I really felt should be addressed as well. Honestly, I think I have a few more I'd like to talk about, but twelve will do me nicely.
Game: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Platform: Mattel Intellivision
Notes: While surprisingly fun, this is one of the few Intellivision games where the controller is really getting the better of me.
Notes: While surprisingly fun, this is one of the few Intellivision games where the controller is really getting the better of me.
Game: Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse
Platform: PC
Notes: Confusing and completely lacking of true TSR merit, I am appalled that this dares carry the AD&D branding.
Notes: Confusing and completely lacking of true TSR merit, I am appalled that this dares carry the AD&D branding.
Game: Disney Epic Mickey
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Notes: While enjoyable for the most part, I'm completely bewildered over what type of gaming experience I should be getting out of this.
Notes: While enjoyable for the most part, I'm completely bewildered over what type of gaming experience I should be getting out of this.
Game: Ecco the Dolphin
Platform: Sega Genesis
Notes: An old, old favorite; unfortunately the puzzling difficulty and length has gotten the best of me every occasion I've attempted it.
Notes: An old, old favorite; unfortunately the puzzling difficulty and length has gotten the best of me every occasion I've attempted it.
Game: Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition
Platform: PC
Notes: Sadly, this game bores the fuck out of me and I just can't drive myself to continue on despite all it's report and grandeur.
Game: Fable: The Lost Chapters
Platform: Microsoft XBox
Notes: Going in, I had high expectations, but never have I had a game make me so angry over design and simple mechanic flaws.
Notes: Sadly, this game bores the fuck out of me and I just can't drive myself to continue on despite all it's report and grandeur.
Game: Fable: The Lost Chapters
Platform: Microsoft XBox
Notes: Going in, I had high expectations, but never have I had a game make me so angry over design and simple mechanic flaws.
Game: Forza Motorsport 4*
Platform: Microsoft XBox360
Notes: Very likely the best console driving "sim" game ever conceived - to date - and eats up far too much of my time, though I'm not complaining.
Notes: Very likely the best console driving "sim" game ever conceived - to date - and eats up far too much of my time, though I'm not complaining.
Game: Formula 1 2011*
Platform: Microsoft XBox360
Notes: After Forza, any other driving game seems second rate, but then again, this is Formula 1 and I just can't pass it up.
Notes: After Forza, any other driving game seems second rate, but then again, this is Formula 1 and I just can't pass it up.
Game: Heroquest
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System
Notes: Interestingly, the very first game I started playing for Beat All Games but since it's nothing more than a broken prototype - yea.
Notes: Interestingly, the very first game I started playing for Beat All Games but since it's nothing more than a broken prototype - yea.
Game: Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition
Platform: Nintendo Game Boy
Notes: Came close to finishing it until I realized I skipped over some stuff that's a bit irreversible now - a fault in strategy guide reliant games.
Notes: Came close to finishing it until I realized I skipped over some stuff that's a bit irreversible now - a fault in strategy guide reliant games.
Game: Shadow of the Colossus
Platform: Sony PlayStation 2
Notes: Honestly, I am dumbfounded that this game is so highly respected - sure the colossi fights are amazing, but as a whole the game is lackluster.
Notes: Honestly, I am dumbfounded that this game is so highly respected - sure the colossi fights are amazing, but as a whole the game is lackluster.
Game: Shenmue
Platform: Sega Dreamcast
Notes: What is this I don't even...
*Before detailed-oriented demons knock my backwards usage of M before Z, please note that I listed the two racing games out of order purposefully.
Notes: What is this I don't even...
*Before detailed-oriented demons knock my backwards usage of M before Z, please note that I listed the two racing games out of order purposefully.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Tears of Joy
Today, or more appropriately, yesterday, Beat All Games has turned the final page of its annual calendar. That's right, one year had passed since I started this mess - though technically, that page was turned late last month. Personally, I'm amazed I've stuck with this, even if I have slowed down considerably in the last few months and we haven't heard wind of Sven. Sadly, the amount of games beaten is few, but so what? I've had fun, and like I said in the beginning, I'm doing this all purely for my own amusement, so who cares? And if someone pops their head in and reads a few of these things; has a chuckle or the urge to give me the bird, all the better!
While Sven hasn't been seen around these parts, I still chat with him about games pretty regularly and we often have a laugh about this site, mostly in regards to how the site grew from an idea of shooting off a couple comical lines about either our fondness or disgust of a game we've recently beaten into full-length critical essays tearing the games apart from both a player's perspective and a technical perspective if and when possible. Not sure how that happened myself, but it's interesting nonetheless that such an evolution even took place - although I'm fairly certain I can attribute that to the fact that both of us are writers at heart. Heck, even now I'm probably writing far more than I should be just to say "Happy Anniversary, Beat All Games!"
And so, with the passing of a year, I look at the almighty lists. Drat! I've managed to rack up only 61 games beaten, with 84 standing as the total between Sven and myself. I'd say it's a tad on the short side, but then, this isn't a competition. It's something done completely at our leisure, for our leisure, so again, who cares? I still have a large number of games in process, though I don't really want to divulge anything. And I might have a new partner in crime hopping on board who has recently had the desire to run through a lot of computer games, both new and old. It seems he's got some stuff on his mind he'd like to say about some of those games, so why not? Besides, it helps me out by not having to play them myself, since I'm not the biggest fan of computer games.
Anyways, enough chit chat. I thought I'd post my top 5 favorite and least favorite games that I played over the past year. Be aware that I'm posting these games pretty much at the tip of a hat, so I'm likely overlooking some fantastic games and/or lurid atrocities. And if that's the case, well, then maybe they didn't deserve to be in the list to begin with, because obviously I couldn't remember them under pressure of a snap decision. So, without further ado I present my five's, in descending order; each number showcasing a favorite and not-so-favorite:
5. Do-Re-Mi Fantasy: Milon no DokiDoki Daibouken
-I'm a bit guilty that I might have picked Do-Re-Mi Fantasy because it's one of those hidden Japanese gems that I would have never known about were it not for the world of emulation. But then, the game is just fantastic. It's one of those games that shines because of its simple nature. They didn't fluff it with needless crap. Everything in the game serves its purpose and serves it well.
5. Drakkhen
-While I don't think this game deserves to be so down-voted - it had so many great ideas with serious potential - there were just way too many flaws in this game. Seriously, this game was a total and complete mess from start to finish, and that's just sad.
4. The Bard's Tale
-I still think this is a very underrated game. Ok, maybe it's not the greatest hack 'n slash out there, but for me there's something about this game where all the pieces just fall into place. Heck, I really had to dig to even find anything to complain about.
4. Mario Pinball Land
-Like I've said numerous times already, I have a strange affinity for console-based pinball games, but this game was just far too luck-based and unfair in stage design for my tastes. While it's a fun game for about five minutes, it quickly delves into tedium for anything more.
3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
-I feel like an idiot fanboy for plugging this game, but I'm sorry, it's awesome. Sure, this game is nothing more than a gimmick hog, but you know, sometimes gimmick hogs are simply a lot of fun. I certainly don't want to come across as someone who's easily bought in by such an approach to game design. That'd be as shallow as someone who's bought in purely by the latest and greatest graphics. But sometimes that's just the way it is.
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
-You don't know how much it pains me to have to include a Sonic game in my worst 5, but the level design in this game was so disgusting. This is one of those game that makes me wonder how on earth it made it past the cutting room floor. This game was equivalent to playing any number of YouTube grade user-made levels - cheap design, sketchy spritework and slapped together architecture. Just shoot me now....
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
-Well, it's not my favorite Zelda, but it's definitely up there. But not only that, it's up there as one of the best games ever made. Unlike most Zelda games, and what I feel really sets this one apart, is the replayability factor. For such an ability to even exist in a puzzle game speaks volumes in my book, so yea.
2. Jaws
-Despite playing this quite a bit as a kid, I guess I was just too ignorant to realize how bad it was. But the thing is, this could have been a good game. I think there's actually some potential hidden away in this game if the designers actually had an interest in designing something that was worthwhile and fun to play. Instead, we got this piece of crap. Oh well.
1. VVVVVV
-Who would have thought a no name indie game with Commodore-style graphics and incredibly simple game design would have been so goddamn fun to play? Like I said in my post, this was one of those games where I just had a blast from beginning to end. The last time that happened with a virgin game experience...honestly, I don't know. Even as much as I love NSMBW, I had lapses where I wanted to put the game down either out of boredom or frustration. With this game, that just never happened.
1. Where's Waldo?
-I don't even want to talk about this game. It's nothing but a grotesque piece of shit that should have never been made.
While Sven hasn't been seen around these parts, I still chat with him about games pretty regularly and we often have a laugh about this site, mostly in regards to how the site grew from an idea of shooting off a couple comical lines about either our fondness or disgust of a game we've recently beaten into full-length critical essays tearing the games apart from both a player's perspective and a technical perspective if and when possible. Not sure how that happened myself, but it's interesting nonetheless that such an evolution even took place - although I'm fairly certain I can attribute that to the fact that both of us are writers at heart. Heck, even now I'm probably writing far more than I should be just to say "Happy Anniversary, Beat All Games!"
And so, with the passing of a year, I look at the almighty lists. Drat! I've managed to rack up only 61 games beaten, with 84 standing as the total between Sven and myself. I'd say it's a tad on the short side, but then, this isn't a competition. It's something done completely at our leisure, for our leisure, so again, who cares? I still have a large number of games in process, though I don't really want to divulge anything. And I might have a new partner in crime hopping on board who has recently had the desire to run through a lot of computer games, both new and old. It seems he's got some stuff on his mind he'd like to say about some of those games, so why not? Besides, it helps me out by not having to play them myself, since I'm not the biggest fan of computer games.
Anyways, enough chit chat. I thought I'd post my top 5 favorite and least favorite games that I played over the past year. Be aware that I'm posting these games pretty much at the tip of a hat, so I'm likely overlooking some fantastic games and/or lurid atrocities. And if that's the case, well, then maybe they didn't deserve to be in the list to begin with, because obviously I couldn't remember them under pressure of a snap decision. So, without further ado I present my five's, in descending order; each number showcasing a favorite and not-so-favorite:
5. Do-Re-Mi Fantasy: Milon no DokiDoki Daibouken
-I'm a bit guilty that I might have picked Do-Re-Mi Fantasy because it's one of those hidden Japanese gems that I would have never known about were it not for the world of emulation. But then, the game is just fantastic. It's one of those games that shines because of its simple nature. They didn't fluff it with needless crap. Everything in the game serves its purpose and serves it well.
5. Drakkhen
-While I don't think this game deserves to be so down-voted - it had so many great ideas with serious potential - there were just way too many flaws in this game. Seriously, this game was a total and complete mess from start to finish, and that's just sad.
4. The Bard's Tale
-I still think this is a very underrated game. Ok, maybe it's not the greatest hack 'n slash out there, but for me there's something about this game where all the pieces just fall into place. Heck, I really had to dig to even find anything to complain about.
4. Mario Pinball Land
-Like I've said numerous times already, I have a strange affinity for console-based pinball games, but this game was just far too luck-based and unfair in stage design for my tastes. While it's a fun game for about five minutes, it quickly delves into tedium for anything more.
3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
-I feel like an idiot fanboy for plugging this game, but I'm sorry, it's awesome. Sure, this game is nothing more than a gimmick hog, but you know, sometimes gimmick hogs are simply a lot of fun. I certainly don't want to come across as someone who's easily bought in by such an approach to game design. That'd be as shallow as someone who's bought in purely by the latest and greatest graphics. But sometimes that's just the way it is.
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
-You don't know how much it pains me to have to include a Sonic game in my worst 5, but the level design in this game was so disgusting. This is one of those game that makes me wonder how on earth it made it past the cutting room floor. This game was equivalent to playing any number of YouTube grade user-made levels - cheap design, sketchy spritework and slapped together architecture. Just shoot me now....
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
-Well, it's not my favorite Zelda, but it's definitely up there. But not only that, it's up there as one of the best games ever made. Unlike most Zelda games, and what I feel really sets this one apart, is the replayability factor. For such an ability to even exist in a puzzle game speaks volumes in my book, so yea.
2. Jaws
-Despite playing this quite a bit as a kid, I guess I was just too ignorant to realize how bad it was. But the thing is, this could have been a good game. I think there's actually some potential hidden away in this game if the designers actually had an interest in designing something that was worthwhile and fun to play. Instead, we got this piece of crap. Oh well.
1. VVVVVV
-Who would have thought a no name indie game with Commodore-style graphics and incredibly simple game design would have been so goddamn fun to play? Like I said in my post, this was one of those games where I just had a blast from beginning to end. The last time that happened with a virgin game experience...honestly, I don't know. Even as much as I love NSMBW, I had lapses where I wanted to put the game down either out of boredom or frustration. With this game, that just never happened.
1. Where's Waldo?
-I don't even want to talk about this game. It's nothing but a grotesque piece of shit that should have never been made.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)